I think an argument can be made that Landry vs Boyd is pretty evenly split. They're not far off in most dynasty rankings. Personally, I see a clearer path to a possible alpha role for Boyd with Green being older, and should also have a larger target share even in the short term compared to Landry. I don't think last year was a fluke, even with a healthy Green, and think Boyd only continues to rise.

What I don't fully understand, coming from a Steelers fan myself, is the current disparity in James Washington who is ranked nearly 30-40 spots ahead of Tre'Quan, who actually showed much more potential in his rookie year than JW. I think Tre'Quan's role is pretty clear as the #2 in NO going forward, with no other real competition besides an aging Ted Ginn. While JW has yet to prove he could beat out Moncrief or their rookie Johnson.

I am curious what the poll results will be to this one, and if anyone has a strong argument as to why JW would be ranked so highly compared to Tre'Quan at the moment. Also curious as to the outlook on Boyd vs Landry.

I’m curious on this argument as well. One of my leaguemates is shopping jw as if he’s the next big thing when his spot ain’t no where near as secure or as promising as my trequan. I’m also a Steeler owner and rather have trequan but I’ve seen the rankings and want to know everyone else’s take.

My issues with Tre'Quan Smith are that he's seemingly set to be fighting for Thomas and Kamara's scraps in the pass-game for many years (and maybe Jared Cook too in the near-term), in an offense that's quietly seen its pass volume dialed back in recent seasons, and which will have to replace Brees soon. And as a third-round pick, the Saints aren't so invested in him that it encourages the Saints to refrain from considering other Day 1 and 2 selections at WR in upcoming draft classes.

Washington still needs to develop significant aspects of his craft, but ultimately I see a bit more near and long term daylight in his outlook than Smith's. Diontae Johnson is a route improviser, which doesn't fly in the NFL, so while he works to eliminate that habit, he's a third-round pick that seems unlikely to breakout quickly. The prospect of Moncrief breaking out to legitimate stardom could ruin everything for Washington dynasty owners, but how many of you are truly predicting that? I myself am cautiously optimistic about Moncrief this year, but I don't think the general market agrees, and even I think fantasy WR3 production is a lot more likely than a true star turn his 6th year in the league.

Smith's rookie tape is better than Washington's, but was it impressive enough that it justifies a resolute 'talent over situation' stance?

"I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure."
- Sun Tzu, 469 BCE

My issues with Tre'Quan Smith are that he's seemingly set to be fighting for Thomas and Kamara's scraps in the pass-game for many years (and maybe Jared Cook too in the near-term), in an offense that's quietly seen its pass volume dialed back in recent seasons, and which will have to replace Brees soon. And as a third-round pick, the Saints aren't so invested in him that it encourages the Saints to refrain from considering other Day 1 and 2 selections at WR in upcoming draft classes.

Washington still needs to develop significant aspects of his craft, but ultimately I see a bit more near and long term daylight in his outlook than Smith's. Diontae Johnson is a route improviser, which doesn't fly in the NFL, so while he works to eliminate that habit, he's a third-round pick that seems unlikely to breakout quickly. The prospect of Moncrief breaking out to legitimate stardom could ruin everything for Washington dynasty owners, but how many of you are truly predicting that? I myself am cautiously optimistic about Moncrief this year, but I don't think the general market agrees, and even I think fantasy WR3 production is a lot more likely than a true star turn his 6th year in the league.

Smith's rookie tape is better than Washington's, but was it impressive enough that it justifies a resolute 'talent over situation' stance?

Agree with most of your points. I do think the upside for JW is higher than Tre'Quan, especially with more AB and Leveon prior targets up for grabs and yet to be sorted out. I suspect that Smith could wind up being very boom/bust. There will be days where Thomas/Kamara are shut down and Smith has some big games though, and we saw flashes of that last year. My interpretation of your points is that you like the upside of JW to more than make up for whatever perceived gap there is in Boyd vs Landry. Is that correct? What is your stance on the latter two players?

Taking Landry over Boyd and Washington over Tre'Quan
PIT throws more than or equal to NO these days so the get Brees' weapons is more myth than reality. Washington will likely work from the slot more so has maybe a better shot at more targets unless Moncrief suddenly becomes good and they prefer Eli Rogers over Washington in the slot.

I will admit most of my Washington over TreQuan has to do with liking Washington as a near 1st rounder last year and TreQuan as a maybe early 3rd

I don't see how the Boyd upside (and perhaps even floor) isn't higher than Landry. We've seen what Landry is for a solid several years now. His best individual results for any given season are 112 catches (2017 on Dolphins with no one around), 1159 yards (2014), and 9 TDs (statistical anomaly of his in 2017, as he averages 4 TDs/year). Last year as the alpha guy in Cleveland, he went for 81-976-4. Boyd, on the other hand, as the number 2 to Green went for 78-1076-7 last year, and had his best games while AJ Green was actually healthy. In comes target hog OBJ, as well as a featured Chubb and potentially Hunt, a strongly developing NJoku, as well as a very good number 3 in Callaway, and the thought is Landry will better his stats from last season?? Don't get me wrong, I can see Landry having some solid games with less pressure on him, but I just don't see him getting the targets he has been accustomed to. Boyd is 2 years younger, likely getting a nice extension this season, and the general thought is that Green will probably be done in Cincy after this year. And it's not like there's a ton of talent behind Boyd to pick up the slack other than Mixon as a decent pass-catching back (Eifert perpetually injured, Ross all but a bust so far). Every site I've come across has Boyd right at equal to Landry for dynasty, and considerably ahead of Landry for 2019 projections itself.